BelSports
This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.
Nayan Gough
A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.
Marva
It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,
SnoopyStyle
In 1917 NYC, local mob boss harasses Charlie 'Lucky' Luciano (Christian Slater)'s family. Five years later, he, Bugsy Siegel (Richard Grieco), Meyer Lansky (Patrick Dempsey) and Frank Costello (Costas Mandylor) are a petty criminal gang. They work under bootlegger Arnold Rothstein (F. Murray Abraham). Lucky falls for showgirl Mara Motes (Lara Flynn Boyle). The old bosses are competing and they survive by joining Don Masseria (Anthony Quinn). Faranzano (Michael Gambon) tries to force Lucky to join. The boys decide to take out both Masseria and Faranzano.The overacting overwhelms this movie. It's not just the young cast. The older cast don't come off well either. Anthony Quinn is going over the edge and there are a few side characters that are too insane. Slater and Dempsey leads the younger cast. I'm actually fine with Slater and Dempsey does better I expected. They are not good but there are worst acting involved. This movie is pretending to be a gangster movie rather than simply be gritty. The story is a mess. Not much of it works.
Willard Huynh
I love this movie not only because Christian Slater, Patrick Dempsey, Richard Grieco were so young and cool in it but it told the story of Lucky Luciano, Meyer Lansky, Bugsy Siegel, and Frank Costello from kids to gangsters to historical icons. My favorite line from the movie is "the bigger we get the more we're taking from other people". This movie didn't have the big budget that other gangster movies did. I appreciate the era it was done in because it was during a time when I was still an adolescent. Since I'm 1st generation in America I could relate to the movie and trying to grow out of the inner city "ghetto". The RZA of the Wu Tang Clan used several of the quotes from this movie in the Wu Tang albums which made it more relevant for me. I hope you enjoy the movie as it remains one of my favorite movies of all time.
bkoganbing
Mobsters casts four young players of the day as four of the legendary gangland figures of the 20th Century in their salad days. Christian Slater, Patrick Dempsey, Richard Grieco, and Costas Mandylor play Lucky Luciano, Meyer Lansky, Bugsy Siegel, and Frank Costello respectively. The film is a fictionalized account of how the four of them wound up on top of the gangland heap.Michael Gambon and Anthony Quinn play the two old style Mobsters who are rivals for the title of boss of all bosses in the New York City area. Playing Charles Ferranzano and Joe Masseria the two of them control most of the illegal liquor trade which gave organized crime in this country it's real foothold. But our young men prove to be tough, smart and resilient as they play off the two old bosses against the middle.Mobsters as a film captures the ambiance of New York during prohibition very well. I'm not sure I would have cast Christian Slater as Lucky Luciano, still Slater does very well with the part. Richard Grieco as Bugsy Siegel is very good, you can see the genesis of Warren Beatty's character when he played Siegel in his film, Bugsy. Note should also be mentioned of F. Murray Abraham as Twenties gambler Arnold Rothstein who was the initial sponsor of the young mobsters in training. And Nick Sadler is one frightening Mad Dog Coll. You'll see quite graphically where his nickname came from.Mobsters is good viewing, not exactly historically accurate, but actually sticks closer to the truth than most films of this type.
John Ross Ewing
I recently watched this movie again after seeing once about 10 years ago. At the time, I thought the movie was pretty bad, but decided to give it another shot after a friend commented that he liked it. So, I watched the flick again and this time is was beyond awful that I don't know where to start. The acting is beyond awful and Christian Slater practically sleep walks through this. The movie also does a horrible job of letting us know how much time has gone by from scene to scene. We're treated to one of the worst montages that shows the "crew" rising, but have no idea what year it is. I also has a problem with the commission meeting with Masera. I mean, what was Mad Dog Cole doing there? I thought these ceremonies were for only made men, but apparently hit men and thugs are also welcome. Aside from that, the script looks like it was hastlily put together as some of the dialogue particularly the Rothstein characters lines are crap.I can't see how anyone could like this movie. The movie is a travesty and if viewers are interested in other films of that era they would be much wiser to check out Billy Bathgate, Bugsy, & Once Upon a Time in America.
